Livonian

Livonian (Līvõ kēļ)

Livonian is part of the south-western branch of Finno-Ugric languages.
The last native speaker, Viktor
Berthold
, died on 28th Februrary 2009, but there is a small number
of people who have learnt Livonian as a second language and who are trying
to revive the language. Inter-generational transmission of the language broke
down during the early 20th century.

Livonian is closely related to Estonian and Finnish and
its orthography combines elements from both Estonian and Latvian spelling.
The first book in Livonian was published in 1863.

Livonian alphabet and pronunication

Livonian alphabet and pronunication

Sample text in Livonian

Min izāmō, min sindimō,
ūod ārmaz rānda sa,
kus rāndanaigās kazābõd
vel vanād, vizād piedāgõd.
Min ārmaz īlmas ūod set sa,
min tõurõz izāmō!

part of Min izāmō (My Fatherland), the national anthem of Livonians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Min_izāmō

Numbers in Livonian

Links

Information about the Livonian language and people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livonian_language
http://www.suri.ee/r/liivi/air.html
http://www.kresy.co.uk/livonia.html

Virtual Livonia – information about the Livonian people, language and culture
http://homepage.mac.com/uldis/livonia/livonia.html
http://homepage.mac.com/uldis/livonia/livlang.html

  • Post category:Languages
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